Brake for fire-escapes.



PATENTED MAR. 21, 1905.

L. DA'HLQUIST. BRAKE FOR FIRE ESGAPES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22,1904.

I. A. N a E T B m% tome Z I ZLZ/QZNTOR @zbm UNITED STATES Patented March 21, 1905.

LAURENTIUS DAHLQUIST, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

BRAKE FOR FIRE-ESCAPES- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,202, dated March 21, 1905. Application filed August 22, 1904. Serial No. 221,757.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAURENTIUS DAHLQUIST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brakesfor Fire-Escapes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in brake mechanism for fire-escapes; and the object of the invention is to produce a simple and eflicient means whereby a rope anchored at one end is provided and upon which fire-escaping apparatus may be held and allowed to descend by gravity at different rates of speed within the control of the operator.

More specifically, the invention comprisesa rope or cable and a boxing comprising a series of cross-pieces between which the rope or cable passesin a zigzag course for the purpose of increasing the friction upon the contacting parts while theapparatus is descending and in the provision of a camlever having acorrugated edge adapted to be thrown frictionally against said rope or cable for the purpose of further increasing the friction upon the cable and checking the descent ofthe apparatus.

The invention consists, further, in various details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claim.

I illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional. view show ingthe manner in which the rope is anchored to the sill of a window and illustrating the apparatus as held to the rope.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a rope or cable, one end of which is secured to a hook A, which is designed to engage over the sill of a window or to be otherwise suitably anchored to a building, said rope being of sufficient length to reach to the ground or a place of safety where a person could escape from the building.

B designates a boxing, which is made preferably of metal andis provided with a series of rounds or cross-pieces B, integral with or secured to said boxing and substantially in alinement withone another. Said boxing is hollow, and the rope A is passed through the spaces intermediate the rounds in the manner disclosed in Fig. 2 of the drawings, thereby offering a considerable amount of frictional contact against the cross-pieces in the event of the boxing being moved upon the rope.

O designates a pin supported in the walls of the boxing, and D is a cam-lever having a corrugated edge D, designed to bear against the rope for the purpose of binding the same against the wall of said boxing, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the boxing may be securely held from descent when the lever is set in the manner disclosed in the drawings. E designates a strap, which is fastened to a link E, mounted upon the head of said cam-lever and which is adapted to be engaged by the person descending upon the rope. The handle K of said lever is so positioned that the operator may easily grip the same and by slightly raising said lever may regulate the frictional contact between the corrugated edge of the cam and the rope to allow the boxing to descend at any'desired speed.

While I have shown a particularconstruction of braking mechanism illustrating my device, it will be understood that the detailed construction of the invention may be varied at willas to details without in any Way departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A brake mechanism for fire-escapes comprising, in combination with a boxing closed upon three sides and open at its ends, a series of rounds supported by the opposite walls of said boxing, a rope passing zigzag fashion between said rounds, said rope adapted to fricfrictionally against the Wall of the boxing, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my slgnature 1n presence of two Witnesses.

LAURENTIUS DAHLQUIST.

Witnesses:

GUSTAVE H. BACKMAN, S. .A. BAOKMAN., 

